Cheap as chips

[bigdavs83]

So was trawling the Screwfix website checking out 45amp double pole switches for a new shower circuit I first fixed this evening. Seen a marbo effort for £1.55!! Can only imagine this falls apart at the thought of the screw being tightened onto a 10mm cable! Anybody used these before?!

 

[trev]

So was trawling the Screwfix website checking out 45amp double pole switches for a new shower circuit I first fixed this evening. Seen a marbo effort for £1.55!! Can only imagine this falls apart at the thought of the screw being tightened onto a 10mm cable! Anybody used these before?!

No....

 

[Octopus]

Too cheap. Just imagine the cost to you to go back and replace, plus an unhappy customer

 

[bigdavs83]

Never once entered my mind to use anything this cheap. The whole house is fitted with Crabtree so I'll keep it as spec. Was just wondering if anybody had used them?

 

[trev]

I was given a Marbo cooker outlet once by a customer who had been shopping unsupervised. I'd have been better off making the terminals myself out of chip fat, butter and a couple of hollowed out cats.
Truly dreadful stuff

 

[bigdavs83]

Aaaah the old customer "but the nice man in b&q said they were really good and he uses them all time!"

 

[HandySparks]

I picked up a couple of these for stock from a local Screwfix at under £3.
Crabtree 45A 2-Gang Switch & Neon | Switches & Sockets | NoLinkingToThis

They're on stock clearance, so pot luck as to whether there are any left in your local branch.

 

[Simlec]

Never once entered my mind to use anything this cheap. The whole house is fitted with Crabtree so I'll keep it as spec. Was just wondering if anybody had used them?

Loads of times, they are rebranded Crabtree.

 

[trev]

That cooker outlet was in no way anywhere near as good as Crabtree gear mate.

 

[bigdavs83]

Don't look anything like Crabtree either!

Thanks handysparks I did see that some of the Crabtree was reduced. Definitely worth grabbing a couple for stock

 

[Simlec]

Electrium on line : The home of quality electrical equipment

well it was until they stopped making the stuff, fact.
I have to say the latest Crabtree stuff is rubbish and has been for years.

 

[HandySparks]

I have to say the latest Crabtree stuff is rubbish and has been for years.

It's a point of view, I suppose.

Not one that I'd share.

 

[ferg]

Anything That bears the MARBO brand belongs in the round filing cabinet.

 

[123]

Find the tall 45A switches the most obtuse looking of things. Would either fit a 1G 45A DP Switch or a 45A DP Switch with a Socket Outlet (not for a shower mind, although that could be novel item!).

 

[ipf]

Anything That bears the MARBO brand belongs in the round filing cabinet.

What's upset you about marvo, ferg..?

 

[bigdavs83]

Although the 2 gang 45a switch is handy for the 2 10mm cables it does look out of place in the upstairs hall. This one didn't have much room next to the light switch so I'm fitting one of the dual dry lining boxes so it will be a single 45a effort. Should be fun! Still better than fitting a pullcord

 

[geordie]

Been up this morning to change a 20a Marbo water heater switch which had melted only a couple of weeks old

 

[telectrix]

that'll teach you not to fit the switch under the water. bloody plumbers!. LOL.

 

[ipf]

that'll teach you not to fit the switch under the water. bloody plumbers!. LOL.

Wrong geordie......me thinks :38:

 

[telectrix]

i,m easily confused.

 

[Engineer54]

Electrium on line : The home of quality electrical equipment

well it was until they stopped making the stuff, fact.
I have to say the latest Crabtree stuff is rubbish and has been for years.

I think you must be getting confused with MK stuff that ''has'' taken a noticeable nose dive in quality over the last 10 or so years. All the general wall accessories on my projects were always specified as MK, this time i've made an overall change to the spec' and made Crabtree the preferred manufacturer, and so far i haven't been disappointed...

 

[Simlec]

Not confused, we mainly only use MK (Honeywell) accessory's as the failure rate/returns are the lowest by a long way (plus they look the best).
I would only use Crabtree on cheap jobs, the price also reflects this..

 

[Andy78]

At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, my preferred brand is Hager sollysta. I use them exclusively for white plastic accessories.
I was used to using MK logic for everything when working employed in commercial installation, as it was specced on virtually every job we did, and our preference where it wasn't specced. When going self employed and into the domestic sector, I found MK prices could not be competitive at all, but the alternative brands were nearly all just awful to use and of poor quality.

Hager sollysta I find takes a lot of it's design cues from MK logic, but it's half the price.

 

[Resu]

At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, my preferred brand is Hager sollysta. I use them exclusively for white plastic accessories.
I was used to using MK logic for everything when working employed in commercial installation, as it was specced on virtually every job we did, and our preference where it wasn't specced. When going self employed and into the domestic sector, I found MK prices could not be competitive at all, but the alternative brands were nearly all just awful to use and of poor quality.

Hager sollysta I find takes a lot of it's design cues from MK logic, but it's half the price.

Another vote for Hagar, we also exclusively use them for white accessories and also only fit their boards both single & 3 phase!

 

[Engineer54]

Not confused, we mainly only use MK (Honeywell) accessory's as the failure rate/returns are the lowest by a long way (plus they look the best).
I would only use Crabtree on cheap jobs, the price also reflects this..

Well all i can say is, that your experience is very different from mine, the failure rate was becoming a joke, we were at one time sending whole boxes of accessories back for replacement. Another example where accountants have stuck their noses into a quality based business and ruined it's reputation...

I can't see much wrong with the Crabtree range myself, solid bit's of kit from what i've seen and failure rates are to say the least, down drastically!! No experience with the Hager range so i can't really comment. One so called quality manufacturer i wouldn't entertain is Legrand, expensive crap!!
ABB's modern stuff isn't too far behind them either... lol!

 

[LankyWill]

Well all i can say is, that your experience is very different from mine, the failure rate was becoming a joke, we were at one time sending whole boxes of accessories back for replacement. Another example where accountants have stuck their noses into a quality based business and ruined it's reputation...

I can't see much wrong with the Crabtree range myself, solid bit's of kit from what i've seen and failure rates are to say the least, down drastically!! No experience with the Hager range so i can't really comment. One so called quality manufacturer i wouldn't entertain is Legrand, expensive crap!!
ABB's modern stuff isn't too far behind them either... lol!

Hager fuseboards are the best I have fitted. They are miles ahead of wylex and mk. We have fitted legrand and it's rubbish as well. We seem to get on well with the deta slimline kit and I reckon it's the best out there for user and installer ease. Crabtree is also a decent kit but it's hard to get stock.